Storage device and support



y 6, 1965 J. K. CURRY 3,193,231

STORAGE DEVICE AND SUPPORT Filed March 15, 1961 Fig; 4B.

INVENTOR. JOHN K. CURRY BY fadaMZ/mMMdM/M United States Patent 3,193,231 STORAGE DEVRCE AND SUIPURT John K. Curry, 429 E. Morgan St., Martinsville, Ind. Filed Mar. 15, 1961, Ser. No. 95,905 1 Claim. (Cl. 248-223) This invention relates generally to storage means and particularly to devices for storing parts containers conveniently, accessibly, and in variable arrangements.

Persons engaged in the repair business, and particularly those working in shops where appliances and particularly television sets are repaired, frequently are confronted with the problem of storing the wide variety of parts which they are required to stock in order to handle the various makes and models of appliances to be repaired. The problem is not always so much one of space but how to utilize the space available for storing the various parts.

It has been the practice in many instances to use drawers and shelves, sometimes divided into cubicles, and various types of cabients to provide storage for parts. This is frequently unsatisfactory because the drawers or cubicles are not of a satisfactory size to accommodate the quantity or configuration of parts which should be stocked, thus resulting in inefficient use of space. Furthermore, it frequently requires transfer by the serviceman of the parts from the container in which they are purchased to the drawer or shelf. When parts are removed from their original container, the place where they are stored must be labeleld and partitioned in order that they may be found with some dispatch, though even then, it is somewhat unsatisfactory.

It is, therefore, a general object of this invention to provide improved means of storing parts for appliances and the like.

It is a further object of this invention to provide means for conveniently storing parts in readily accessible and visible location.

It is a further object of this invention to provide means for parts storage wherein the space required is minimized.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide means for parts storage whereby the parts may be stored in their original container.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide means for storage of parts whereby an empty original container can be discarded and a new container of parts may be readily substituted in its place.

This invention includes in its scope a perforated board and a mounting plate, usually made of plastic, having generally L-shaped tabs at its upper margin and straight tabs or posts at its lower margin whereby it may be mounted to the board. The front face of the plate is provided with a pressure sensitive adhesive coating and a suitable backing material or release parchment is provicled on the adhesive coating to protect it prior to use. The parchment may be removed and a parts container pressed into place against the adhesive coating and retained firmly thereby in an appropriate position on the board.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claim.

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a typical embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side section of a second embodiment of this invention wherein the mounting tabs are integral with the parts container.

FIG. 4 is still another embodiment of this invention similar to that of FIG. 1 but wherein the plate of FIG. 1 is divided into an upper and a lower strip as illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B with a plurality of tabs therealong.

FIG. 5 is a side section of the embodiment of FIGS. 4A and 4B mounted on the perforated board.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are fragmentary enlargements of varia tions of the straight tab or post employed in the invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the board 11 is provided with a plurality of perforations 12 which may be arranged in a standard pattern or at a specific spacing as desired. The support includes a plate portion 13 which is usually made of a suitable plastic material and has a plurality of L-shaped tabs 14 extending from and integral with the rear face 16 thereof along the upper margin thereof. The distal end 17 of each tab is upstanding as shown in the figures. An anchor for the plate at the lower margin thereof is provided by means of the straight tab or post 18 extending from the rear face of the plate and integral therewith.

The front face 19 of the plate 13 has an adhesive coating 21 thereon which is pressure sensitive and may be selected from the many known in the art. A parts container 22 having a substantially planar rear side 23 may be pressed into contact with the adhesive coating and thereby supported in place.

In FIG. 3, the container 26 which may be made of plastic, though other materials can be used, has tabs 27 and 28 integral with the rear side 29 thereof. The lid 31 of the container is fastened to the rear side adjacent its upper margin at the hinges 32. A catch 33 is provided at the front of the container to hold the lid closed. This embdoiment has a particular advantage in that a parts manufacturer could supply parts in a container tabbed as shown whereby the serviceman may mount the container directly to his board and dispose of its predecessor.

In FIG. 4A, a strip 36 is provided with a plurality of spaced tabs 37 along the upper margin thereof. This strip is provided with an adhesive coating 38 on its front face 39 and a release parchment or backing material 41 to protect the adhesive coating prior to use. By supplying strips in this form, they may be cut transversely to the longitudinal dimension thereof in suitable lengths for mounting various sizes of parts containers.

In FIG. 4B, a strip 43 is provided with a plurality of straight tabs or posts 44 along the lower margin thereof and the front face 46 is provided with an adhesive coating and a release material similar to that provided for the strip 36 of FIG. 4A. This strip may also be cut transversely of its length to any suitable lengths and may be used, if desired, to anchor the lower portion of the container to the board.

The post 44a in FIG. 4B is provided with slots 47 and 48 and represents a construction whereby the post may have a snug fit in the perforation of the peg board.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of a typical configuration of the post 44a of FIG. 4B in its free form. It is seen to have a slightly enlarged diameter adjacent its distal end 49. This diameter would be slightly larger than the inside diameter of the perforation of the board and the slots 47 and 48 would accommodate compression of this portion to allow entry of the post into the peg board perforation, the resiliency of the material providing a snug engagement with the board.

In FIG. 7, a flange 51 is provided adjacent the distal end 52 of the post to engage the rear side of the peg board after insertion of the post into the perforation. The slot 48 would, however, accommodate deformation at the end 52 sufiicient to allow removal of the post from the board if desired.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that the present invention provides an excellent solution to the servicemaus storage problems. He may purchase v v 3 parts in a wide variety of sizes and shapes of containers, and can mount the containers in a readily accessible location and in direct view. When a container is empty, he can discard it and replace, it with anew one Where the old one was positioned on the board. Parts manufacturers can assist by producing containers of the form shown in FIG. 3 so that the Serviceman can use parts directly from the container mounted on the board. As an option, the manufacturer could supply containers without tabs but opening at thetop so that the Serviceman can use his adhesive strips to mount the containers and use parts directly from the containers, leaving the containers mounted to the board. a

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claim are also desired to be protected.

The invention claimed is:

An article support for use in a perforated board and cent the upper margin of said rear face and having upstanding distal ends for reception through perforations in the board to hang said support thereon, a plurality of substantially straight tabs integral with said strip and extending rearwardly from the'rear face adjacent the lower margin of said rear face and having at least one recess in the distal end of a tab to provide resilient portrons in the distal end thereof for snug engagement in a perforation in the board, and an adhesive coating on the front face for adhering articles to be supported to said strip, whereby said strip is adapted to support articles on a perforated board.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,971,396 8/34 De Waide a 206--56 2,142,194 1/39 Karfiol 248205 2,498,623 2/50 Poupitch 248-235 2,728,259 12/55 Poupitch 855 2,797,817 7/57 Shugarman 211-96 2,879,899 3/59 Shenkin 211-55 2,943,835 7/60 Tierney 248-216 the like and comprising: -a strip having a front face, a i CLAUDE rear face, a plurality of L-shaped tabs integral with said 25 A. LE Prlmary Exammer' strip and extending rearwardly from the rear face adja- ROBERT C. RIORDON, Examiner. 

